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FCAT

School officials upbeat on FCAT

They say state education figures show reading scores for Pasco's third-graders have improved since last year's testing.

By REBECCA CATALANELLO
Published April 23, 2005

Pasco County's third-graders appear to be reading better than they did last year.

About 21 percent of the youngsters scored in the lowest level on the FCAT reading test this spring, putting them at risk of being retained in the third grade next year.

That's down from 24 percent in 2004, according to state Education Department figures.

It's too early to conclude however that 21 percent of the county's third-graders will be held back.

"This would be the worst-case scenario," assistant superintendent Sandy Ramos said of the preliminary scores released this week.

Of the 1,020 low-scoring Pasco County third-graders, many will still go on to the fourth grade because they are exempted from the mandatory retention provided by state law, which is in its third year.

The students who are exempted have disabilities or are learning English as a second language. They do better than the national average on another test or their previous class work suggests their poor performance on the reading test was a fluke.

In 2004, only 14 percent of third-graders ended up being retained, Ramos said.

Parents should be getting information in the next week about their children's status.

Woodland Elementary principal Steve Rinck was at the office late Friday going over the scores with assistant principal Pat Sinclair.

"I'm very happy with it," Rinck said.

Nearly 17 percent - 26 of 154 third-graders tested - are at risk of being held back next year. But only seven of those low-scoring students are in the regular education program, he said. In other words, the remaining 19 might be eligible for exemptions.

Though parents haven't been issued the score reports, teachers and administrators have contacted some of the families whose children were on the edge. Rinck said teachers spend all year working with kids, keeping updated records on their reading performances. For that reason, there generally aren't many surprises.

"It's just nice to have that confirmed," he said.

Altogether, 4,935 Pasco County third-graders took the FCAT reading test this year, Ramos said. Almost 66 percent scored in the proficient range while about 34 percent were in Levels 1 or 2, considered below proficient. That means there was a 4 percent increase in students scoring in the proficient reading compared with 2004.

Superintendent Heather Fiorentino said the early figures made her optimistic.

"There will be a larger improvement when all the numbers come in," she said. "I'm looking forward to it."

The Education Department plans to begin releasing statewide FCAT results in early May. The FCAT, short for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, is administered annually to students in grades 3-10. Besides determining whether third-graders go to the fourth grade, high school seniors must have passed portions of the test in order to graduate.

[Last modified April 23, 2005, 00:54:19]